Gov’t simply wants to reduce capitation grant – Teachers react to semester system for basic schools

General Secretary of the All Teachers Alliance, Albert Dadson Amoah, has disclosed the government’s decision to introduce the system at the basic school level is a smart way for them (gov’t) to decrease the amount paid as capitation grant.

According to him, the government pays 3 trenches of the capitation grant in the trimester system and with the introduction of the semester system, they will end up paying 2 trenches.

With government already owing 4 trenches of the capitation grant, Albert Dadson Amoah is of the view “the government is finding a nice way of reducing the capitation grant. We know what they are thinking because introducing the semester system at the basic level is a bad idea.”

The teacher giving government an alternative to raising money for the capitation grant in an interview with Samuel Eshun on the Happy Morning Show, he said, “If you can’t pay the capitation grant then you can let the students pay fees.”

Teachers at the basic education level are agitating against the new semester system introduced by the Ghana Education Service (GES) for the 2022 academic year.

The GES announced the new semester system last week when it rolled out the 2022 academic calendar from Kindergarten to SHS3.

According to the calendar, KG, primary and JHS schools are to re-open on 18th January 2022. All students will spend 20 weeks each per semester to complete the session.

The first semester beginning from 18th January 2022 will end 9th June 2022 with the second semester starting from 26th July 2022 to 16th December 2022.

Reacting to this, he motioned the Ghana Education Service (GES) no more consults teachers before taking such critical decisions.

He expressed doubt the introduction of the semester system will improve quality of education at the basic level. “Extension of hours will not work if we aim to improve the quality of education. For 2 years now we have not received textbooks to support teaching and learning with the newly introduced curriculum. There are a lot of infrastructural challenges at the basic school with students still learning under trees and instead of resolving all these we want to introduce the semester system at the basic school level.”

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